The hacking group Anonymous has released a video claiming to have breached Israel’s military and stolen “top secret” documents. This comes two weeks after Israel’s Justice Ministry acknowledged a cybersecurity breach that may have stolen hundreds of gigabytes of data. The Anonymous collective claims to have hacked the IDF after targeting the justice ministry.
The cyber dimension of the conflict in Gaza has been relatively unreported, but with Iran stepping out from behind its proxies, there is now a more public engagement between two of the world’s most cyber-active governments. There are unverified claims by an Iranian hacking group of breaching Israeli radar technologies. Despite Iran enhancing its cyber skills, Israel’s offensive cyber capabilities are superior.
Anonymous is not a globally organized group with a structure, but rather an umbrella agenda with self-styled members initiating and coordinating activities. The latest claims appear to come from a pro-Palestinian group calling itself Anonymous for Justice. Israeli security assessments suggest that the likelihood of an actual breach is minimal, with the possibility that any breached data was obtained from civilian computers.
The hacked data allegedly includes information about generals, military bases, contracts, and top secret projects totaling 20GB across more than 230,000 files. The video claims the breach was done with the help of individuals within the IDF. Israel is on high cyber alert and expects activities to increase post-Ramadan, especially after recent clashes with Iran.
The content of the leaked data remains to be seen, with the substance only becoming clear if highly sensitive information from secure military systems is made public. The screenshots in the video cannot be verified. Over the coming weeks, the focus will be on any public signs of offensive cyber campaigns from either side and whether they are acknowledged. The IDF has been approached for comments on the alleged hack.
